Crying Wolf
by prettyargents
Summary: Jackson's cousin, Aria Whittemore never expected to be abandoned by her parents. She also never expected to meet two people that would change her life forever. Stiles/OC [Put back up cause I was told to!]
1. Biggest Idiot

And your family fades

But it wasn't your fault

It was never your fault

_This sucks. _

They always say that you should be careful what you wish for. In my case, this statement has never been truer. Tomorrow marks my first official day at Beacon Hills High School and to say I was dreading it would be an understatement.

For the past few weeks I have been living with my cousin, Jackson, and wondering how in the hell my life could have turned out this way. Let's just say, whenever you wish for your parents to leave you alone, make sure it's truly what you want. In my case, I feel like mine took it to heart. At the end of this past June, my parents up and decided that they would rather travel the world together and leave their sixteen year old daughter behind to live her life in the small town of Beacon Hills. "_Thanks for the fabulous parenting. Let's hope you two never get asked for advice on how to raise a child,"_ snorted the voice in my head.

I think I've been taking their abandonment pretty well, but my aunt Anna doesn't see it that way. Apparently my lack of enthusiasm for back to school shopping and my less than pleased attitude toward this town makes me "unstable," and "depressed."

Well, maybe if you would stop trying to harass me about how my ripped jeans are "unflattering" or the fact that I could use a haircut, I would probably want to burn your entire collection of Vera Wang dresses just a little less. Other than the minor annoyances from my aunt, I still am grateful to her and my uncle David for taking me in. With my parents earning the award for "worst parenting couple in the world," I know that my aunt and uncle are truly happy that I am here. For the past sixteen years of my life, my parents have never really given anyone else outside of their country club the time of day. It was always about making sure our family looked the best, no matter what the cost. The downside to this was never getting to see much of my family, the upside; I never actually had the chance to spend time with my obnoxious and douche bag of a cousin, Jackson.

I have never met someone who could annoy me in every way possible. Since my first day of living with my aunt and uncle, Jackson has done nothing else but harass me and make snide comments about the littlest things. If he didn't cut it out soon, I was seriously going to buzz cut his perfect spiky hair and make sure he rues the day when he pisses me off.

_Oh wow, I may have some unresolved anger issues._

The only good thing that came from living with Jackson was already having a friend before the school year started: his girlfriend Lydia Martin. Lydia was all the things I'm not; popular, beautiful, fashion forward, but at least she decided to take me under her wing and not leave me to be a total loser.

Now here I am, just waiting in the office at school to provide more background information, since the move to Beacon Hills wasn't exactly planned out and prepared for, before I make my way over to the indoor pool for swimming tryouts. I just want this first week to be over with so I can get back to watching Friends episodes in my pajamas.

"Ms. Aria Whittemore," a voice calls, bringing me out of my thoughts. "The vice principal is ready to see you now." I glance up at the front office receptionist who is wearing a smile that looks forced with her eyebrows quirked in a condescending manner. _What an introduction here to Beacon Hills lady. If everyone else is like this, I will have no problem ignoring them," _I ramble on inside my head.

Grabbing my messenger bag, I stand up, sweep my long brown hair behind my back and walk towards the vice principals office, without even thanking the rude receptionist.

I walk into the vice principals office and take a seat at one of the two chairs situated in front of his desk. He glances up at me when I sit and throws me a genuine smile, one that make me hopeful that maybe Beacon Hills won't actually suck.

"Hello Aria," he starts, "I am Mr. Manning." He leans over the desk to offer a hand shake.

I reach out and shake his hand, "Hi, thank you for meeting with me today instead of tomorrow morning," I say.

I was lucky that my aunt and uncle donated so much money to the school, making it easy to ask a favor from the vice principal. I did not want to have to arrive early to school on the first day and fill out any paperwork before heading to my first class where I could have to be awkwardly introduced after the class had already begun.

"No problem," he says while opening a large manila file folder and laying out some of the contents on the desk. "I just had a few things to discuss with you about your move here to Beacon Hills."

After thirty minutes of the question and answer game, getting my schedule, and looking over the school map, I leave the vice principals office to get ready for the swim team tryouts. I wander the halls until I am able to find the girls locker room, only getting lost once due to me accidentally holding the map upside down. Choosing one of the red lockers close to a corner, I grab my red swimsuit out of my bag along with my goggles and swimming cap and head out of the locker room to the pool. I put all my stuff on a bench and wait for the others to arrive.

After about twenty minutes, other girl's start to enter the pool area. I stand up and walk over to where the swim coach, Mrs. Russell was standing, wearing a disgustingly ugly purple tracksuit and holding a whistle, stopwatch, and a clipboard.

"Alright ladies!" Mrs. Russell yells out in a voice louder than an elephant's wail. "Get into groups of three and spread out among the eight lanes. Once you have done this, I will blow my whistle and you will complete an individual medley."

All of us headed towards a lane. "Three—Two—One—_Beep!"_ And the first rows of girls dive into the pool to start the tryouts.

I wait for my turn and dive in on the whistle. When I hit the water, I feel complete. I have been a swimmer all my life. It all started when I was three years old and my mother decided to take mother-daughter swimming classes. Ever since then I had competed on many different teams and won many awards. I always loved swimming because it was the one thing my parents actually took the time to care about, most likely because it was a way for them to gain more popularity. Whenever I had a swim meet, my parents never failed to show up. It was the one time where I actually could pretend like I had a normal and happy family.

An hour later, I leave the pool with the hope that I'll see my name on the roster for the team when I arrive to school tomorrow. I head back to the locker room, pack my belonging into my gym bag, change my clothes, and head out the door.

It was already getting dark out and all I had was my stupid bike. I had a car when I lived with my parents, but they decided that since I would be living in such a rural area with everything close by, I would not need it. So, that just left me and my bike. Thanks to Jackson, I would be forced to ride it to and from school everyday due to my "loser" status and him not wanting me to scuff his leather seats.

Grabbing my bike, I push off and head out the parking lot. I knew this ride would suck due to the fact my new home was pretty far away from the school. "_Oh joy," _I thought_, "now let's just hope that nothing comes out of the woods and eats me."_

After riding for about fifteen minutes, I take a small break at the Beacon Hills preserve. Leaning my bike up against the sign, I find a patch of grass and lie down, taking a look up at the darkening sky. _It's so pretty here. If only I wasn't forced to be here, then maybe I would actually enjoy it. _

All my life I lived near Los Angeles, full of sidewalks, pollution, and ridiculous amounts of people. It was never really a place to relax. Here in Beacon Hills, however, I felt more at peace than I ever had. After sitting for another few minutes, I decide to start heading back home, but hear a loud rumbling of a car heading my way. I look to my left, where a powder blue jeep is pulling into the preserve. Two young boys, around my age, jump out from the jeep and start heading towards where I am standing. I can hear them talking, and one is going on and on using his arms animatedly.

"Come on, Scott! A dead body! You have to agree that this is cool," the boy with short brown hair says, while slapping his friend on the back.

There's a dead body in the woods? Now this town just got way freakier, but also more interesting. "Did you just say there was a dead body?" I ask aloud, moving closer to the boys.

"Oh my god!" they both shout, turning their flashlight towards me. The boy with short hair, clutching his chest as if he just had a heart attack, starts yelling in a boyish shriek. "Are you trying to scare the crap out of us?!"

"No, I was here first and I overheard what you were talking about," I say, slowly walking towards the boys. "Is there really a dead body?"

Both boys stare at me, mouths hanging open and eyes wide. After a few seconds of feeling completely awkward, I decide to try something else. "Well, since both of you seem to have lost the ability to speak, my name's Aria."

"Oh, shit," the short haired boy says under his breath, realizing he and his friend were acting weird. "I'm Stiles, and this here is my buddy Scott." He reaches over and wraps his arm playfully around Scott's shoulders.

"Nice to meet you guys, even though I am now worried because you are out searching for a dead body in the woods at night," I say, staring at the two boys. "Are you guys some creepy murderers or something?"

"Not at all!" Stiles declares while raising his arms in a defensive motion. "If anything, we should be asking you the same question, seeing as how you were out here all alone before us."

Raising my eyebrows at Stiles, I shook my head. "So you guys are seriously going out there too look for it?"

"Of course," Stiles shouted, clearly the more talkative of the two boys. "This is only the coolest thing to ever happen here."

Nodding my head, I start to reach for my bike to head back home. "Well you two have fun, I'm going to go home, and hopefully not see you two on the news tomorrow morning."

I grab the handles of my bike and watch as Scott and Stiles start walking further away from me and into the woods. I stand there for what seemed like hours before I lean my bike back against the wooden pole. Thinking back on this moment, I should have made the smart choice and gone home, but instead, I chose the idiotic option.

I begin to walk swiftly towards the direction the boys had gone. After a few minutes, I could hear them chatting and eventually could see the outlines of their bodies.

"Scott! Stiles!" I shout, but not loud enough to freak them out. "Wait for me!" I see both boys turn around to stare at me blankly.

"What in the—" Stiles starts to say.

"I just didn't feel like going home yet," I look at each of the boy's faces, hoping they won't think I am weird for wanting to join them. "And I want to help look for this body of yours, and maybe make sure the two of you don't get yourselves killed."

"I think that if any one of us is going to get offed by a murderer, it'll be you," Stiles starts. "With how loud you are I'm surprised you didn't wake up the elderly of Beacon Hills."

"Well, I'm coming with you," I start walking past them, "and if you don't get a move on we will be here all night with nothing cool to show for it."

Both of the boys shrug at one another and start walking again. After walking for about five minutes, I notice Scott starting to become jittery.

"Are we seriously doing this?" He asks while pulling the hood of his red sweatshirt over his head.

"You're the one who always complains that nothing ever happens in this town," Stiles replies, shaking his head at his friend.

"I was hoping to get a good night sleep before practice tomorrow."

"Right, because sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort," Stiles mocks, starting to move faster through the woods.

"No, I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm going to make first line," Scott says, moving some branches out of our faces.

"Hey, that's the spirit, everyone should have a dream, even a highly unrealistic one."

Getting highly annoyed with their conversation, I decide to speak up. "Okay guys, seriously?!" I start, "We are out here in the middle of the woods, at night, searching for a dead body, and you want to talk about lacrosse?"

Both boys stop speaking immediately and continue forward through the woods. After a few minutes of silence, Scott decides to speak once more.

"Out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"

"Huh, didn't even think about that," replies Stiles, making both Scott and I stop in our tracks to stare at him.

"And what if whoever killed the person is still out here," I ask, moving a few steps closer to Scott, starting to feel like I have met the world's two biggest idiots.

"Yeah, didn't think about that either," Stiles replies, starting to work his way up a small hill. Luckily for me, queen of the uncoordinated, there are areas that serve as good leverage for climbing. Close behind me, I can hear Scott start to wheeze and then hear the shaking of an inhaler.

"Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight?" He asks Stiles, finally reaching the top of the small hill and taking a hit off his inhaler.

All of sudden, we hear several dogs barking in the distance. We each scramble to the ground with Stiles elbowing me in my ribs in the process. "Ow, Stiles!" I whisper while elbowing him back.

He throws me an apologetic smile and turns back towards where there are now flashlights peeking through the trees. Stiles starts to get back up, scrambling to get his footing, and beings to run through the woods. Scott and I both look at one another before reluctantly following.

_"This is stupid. This is stupid. I am stupid. Better yet, Stiles is stupid," _I mutter in my head.

Watching Stiles run ahead of me, I gather that he is not the most coordinated teenager. His arms and legs flail as if he has no control over his body movement and he jumps over small branches like a ballerina on crack. Running only a few more feet, we all stop when a dog barrels toward Stiles and knocks him onto his back. Looking over, I see two police officers glancing down at him. Grabbing hold of Scott's sweater, I pull him behind a large tree.

"Someone over here!" shouts one of the police officers, while another starts running closer to Stiles.

"Hang on, hang on. This delinquent belongs to me," the newest addition to the group says. Peeking around the tree, I look at the officer, who looks just like Stiles, only older.

"So, do you listen in on all of my calls?" he asks, glaring down at his son.

"No, at least not the boring ones."

"And where's your usual partner in crime?" The officer glances toward the area where Scott and I are hiding behind a large tree.

"Who? Scott? Stiles replies nervously. "Scotts home. Said he wanted to get a good night sleep before the first day of school tomorrow. It's just me, in the woods, all alone."

Scott and I stand as still as possible behind the tree, trying to make sure we don't get caught. I really did not want my aunt to have a call from the police after only living with her for a month.

"Scott! Scott, are you out there?" His dad calls out again. After a few seconds, figuring that Stiles is alone, he grabs his son by his jacket and starts dragging him away.

"Well young man, I'll walk you back to your car and have a conversation about invasion of privacy," he says, his voice growing fainter as he and Stiles move farther away from us.

Scott and I wait a few more seconds and then turn to face one another. _Shit._ We are officially stranded out here in the woods, at night, with a dead body somewhere nearby. We begin to head back the way we came, walking silently, both still on the lookout for the body, or worse, the killer.

_Snap! _I hear to my right. Scott and I both stop to look, but see nothing. "This is seriously freaking me out," I say to him.

He nods in response, "Let's just keep going and try to get out of here as quickly as possible."

All of a sudden, I start to feel the ground shake slightly. Looking around I notice a shape moving towards us at a quick pace. Looking closer, I now see that a herd of deer is getting closer and closer. Frozen in fear, I just stare at the scene ahead of me. _I'm going to die. I need to move. Oh my god, I'm going to die. _Scott grabs hold of my arm and pulls me away from their path, putting his body above mine. After a few more moments, the deer have all passed by, allowing Scott and I the opportunity to stand back up.

Dusting myself off, I look over at a clearly panicked Scott. "Thank you," I smile softly, while internally still freaking out.

He nods his head in response, while picking twigs out of his hair.

"What the hell was that?" I cry, holding my arms around my torso, trying to calm down.

"I have no clue," Scott says, while frantically looking at the ground around him. "But I can't find my inhaler anywhere."

Scott pulls out his cell phone and uses the flashlight app to search through the leaves and dirt. I use my phone as well and we start to search the small area around us. After looking around for a minute or so, I hear Scott scream. Turning, I watch as he stumbles backwards and rolls down a small hill. Running over to the top of the hill, I glance down and see Scott pushing himself up. "Scott! Scott, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," he says, "Just a few scra—"

I hear Scott start screaming and look past him to see two bright red eyes staring at him. I freeze, fear taking a hold of me. I watch Scott try to run back towards me when a large figure leaps towards Scott and tackles him to the ground, pinning him down. After a short struggle, the figure jumps off of Scott and runs back away. _Please let him be okay. I am never ever listening to that Stiles kid again. This is like my worst nightmare._

I start running down the hill towards Scott, who is now starting to get back up off the ground. Once he is fully standing, I grab his arm and start running as quickly as possible toward the road. Every few seconds I glance behind me, checking to make sure Scott is still okay.

Eventually we see the lights from the road and reach the pavement. Both of us stop, out of breath holding our sides while we calm down from the running. I notice Scott wince and I watch as he lifts his shirt up to show a massive animal bite.

"Holy shit," I say while shining my phones flashlight onto his side. "We need to take you to a hospital or something."

"No it's okay, I just need to get home," he grabs her hand and starts walking. "I can get it fixed up there. We just need to get the hell out of here before something else happens."

After walking for some time, we make it back to where my bike is, and then continue walking back towards our neighborhoods. Once we reach Scott's house, I say goodbye and get on my bike to ride back home. Pulling up to my house, I quickly run inside and lock the door. I run up to my room and shut the door, only to sit and lean up against it.

_Something was seriously weird about this town_.

* * *

I was told to put this back up on here or I would be smited...so I have obliged.

:)


	2. First Day of Misery

_And lately I've been walking  
Through all these places that I cannot stand  
I guess it's just my history talking  
Now I'm refusing to supply your demands_

_Beep-beep-beep-beep!_

You have got to be kidding me. Turning my face towards the intolerable noise, I reach my arm out to grab my phone and turn off my alarm. I have always hated that stupid Marimba ringtone; I seriously need to change it to something less aggravating. I begin to roll back over and snuggle into my covers once more when my door bursts open. Groaning, I look up to see Jackson standing at the doorway.

"Hey loser, you might want to get up or else you'll be late," Jackson says, leaning up against the door frame. "Also, I think you may want to take some time getting ready, don't want you looking any more like a freak than you already do."

Grabbing my pillow, I throw it towards Jackson, just barely missing him as he smirks and backs out of the doorway.

"You might want to take your own advice seeing as you have so much hair gel you look like a freaking porcupine!" I shout after him.

Sighing, I pull the covers completely away from my body and move myself out of the bed. I walk over to my window and pull the curtains back to reveal the blinding sun and cloudless sky. Turning back towards my room, I glance around, ready to begin my search for clothes to wear. So far, I have only unpacked a few boxes, leaving the rest to sit in a pile in the corner. I amble over to my closet and start sifting through the clothes I have already hung up.

Grabbing some jeans, my favorite Batman muscle t-shirt, and a jacket, I head out of the closet to get dressed. Putting on just a little bit of make-up and brushing my hair, I grab my boots and head downstairs to get something to eat.

"Morning Aria, sweetheart," I hear my Aunt greet me from the kitchen table where she is sitting drinking her coffee and reading the newspaper. My Aunt surprisingly is one of the most chipper people in the morning. How anyone can even function properly so early in the day is beyond me.

"Good morning Aunt Anna," I reply, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. Walking over to the kitchen pantry, I grab a granola bar.

"Are you ready for your first day?" My Aunt asks, peering over the top of her newspaper at me.

"As ready as I think I will ever be," I reply, taking a bite out of my breakfast. I go over to the kitchen table and sit down in the seat across from my Aunt.

Smiling gently at me, my Aunt puts the newspaper down and looks intently at me. "I know that these past few weeks have been hard on you Aria, and I just want you to know that if you need anything, your Uncle and I are here for you. I know that my brother has his flaws but I know that he and your mom love you very much, even if they are horrible at showing it."

"Thanks," I say, looking up at my Aunt with soft smile.

"You are like a daughter to me, rather than just my niece, and I want you to be happy here," my Aunt continues, getting up from the table and taking her coffee cup over to the sink. She leaves the cup in the sink and walks back over to my seat, placing her small hand on my shoulder. "Even though the situation sucks, I am so happy to have you here."

With that, my Aunt grabs her laptop bag and purse and begins her walk to the front door. Calling out a goodbye over her shoulder, I am now left to quickly finish my breakfast. Looking at the clock on the kitchen stove, I realize that if I don't leave now, I am going to be late for my first day. Grabbing my bag, I head out the front door and grab my bike from the side of the house. Getting on, I push off and start making my way towards school.

When I reach the school, I head immediately towards the bike racks. Chaining up my bike, I finally glance up at the monstrosity that is Beacon Hills High School, filled with chatting students all ready to start the new school year.

_Go Cyclones…not._

"Uh, hey Aria,"

Startled, I look to my right to see Scott staring at me.

"Scott," I say, pulling my bag higher on my shoulder. "Did you get that nasty bite all cleaned up? Don't want you getting any kind of diseases and dying in the middle of the school hallway."

Scott looks at me with an absolutely horrified expression. I snort and walk closer to him. "I'm just kidding, but seriously, are you alright?"

Scott shakes his head, slightly smirking, and pulls up the side of his shirt, giving me a full view of a bloodied bandage.

"Dude, that is supremely nasty, but also kind of cool," I laugh.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure not to infect you with any diseases I may have," Scott says jokingly while locking up his bike. As Scott is leaning down, a silver Porsche pulls up in the spot next to where we are standing at the bike racks. _Oh joy, the king of the douchebags has arrived._

Jackson opens his car door right into Scott, causing him to tumble forward into me.

"Watch the paintjob," Jackson says with a smirk towards Scott and I. Closing the door, Jackson saunters off, leaving an embarrassed Scott and a pissed off me in his wake. _Putting lubricant in his hair gel may be something I try tonight. What an ass._

Looking at Scott, I see him frowning at what just occurred. Trying to make light of the situation, I throw my arm around Scott's shoulder and start walking us towards the front of the school.

"Don't worry Scott, Jackson may act all high and mighty, but that ego of his is probably compensating for something else," I say with a wink, trying to get Scott to smile.

Laughing Scott shakes his head at me, "You are so weird,"

"It's a gift," I reply, shrugging as if I've heard it all before.

"Scott! Scott! Oh my god, can I see it? What—," Stiles stops his rambling when he sees that I am standing with Scott. "Uh, Aria—uhm, what, uh—," he continues.

_He kind of reminds me of Pinocchio, but hopped up on adderall, and he wears a lot of plaid…_

"Not that listening to you stumble over your words isn't the highlight of my day, but I'm going to go now in the hopes that I won't get roped into something stupid like finding another dead body," I say, smirking at the dumbfounded look on Stiles' face. I walk away from the boys and head up the front steps into the school.

Luckily finding my first class was easy. I make my way into the room and find a seat near the back. Placing my bag down next to the desk, I sit down and lay my head down on the desk, already ready to go back to sleep. After last night's events I had not slept much. Every time I closed my eyes I kept seeing flashes of red and could hear Scott's screaming.

The bell finally rings and I lift my head up to find that most of my classmates have already wandered in and taken their seats. Leaning over the side of my desk, I reach into my bag to grab my notebook and a pen. Finally sitting up after sifting through the mess in my bag for a minute, I come face to face with none other than Stiles. He continues to stare at me, mouth slightly opened, as if I have sprouted four heads.

"Uh, Stiles, might want to close your mouth," I say, quirking my eyebrow "wouldn't want you to swallow a fly."

Red-faced and with eyes wide, Stiles splutters out a sorry and sits down in the seat in front of me and next to where Scott had taken his own seat. Every time I see this boy he either is a stuttering mess or flailing all over the place. Maybe I should sign him up for some ballet classes, give him some practice in being graceful.

"Alright class, I know that you all are just so excited to be back here after your summer break, but let's quiet down please," our teacher begins, standing in front of the classroom. Wearing an argyle sweater and slacks too long, he is the epitome of a teacher who is ready to get the hell out of here already.

_He may also be up for a job as a new type of sundial with that balding head of his._

Before he could being speaking again, the Principal enters the classroom followed by a girl. She stands timidly behind the Principal wearing a dark green jacket and a cute scarf. She looks as if she would rather be anywhere else but here. But hey, it was nice to see that I wasn't the only new student here this year.

"Hello class, this here is Allison Argent and she is a new student here at Beacon Hills," the Principal begins, signaling to the girl, Allison. "Let's give her a warm welcome."

With that, he leaves our classroom, and Allison stands awkwardly at the front of the classroom waiting for instruction from out teacher.

"Oh yes, hello Ms. Argent," he says, "please take one of the empty seats and we can begin." He waves her off and turns to the white board to write _Kafka's Metamorphosis_ in the most horrible handwriting I had seen since I was in fourth grade.

Allison makes her way down the aisle to my right and takes a seat in front of Scott and next to me. When she finally sits down, Scott leans forward and hands her a pen. She looks confused but takes it, smiling sweetly at him. _Oh Mccall, quite the charmer you are._

Deciding to ignore whatever the teacher was beginning to talk about, I lean over to Allison and tap her forearm. "Hey, I'm Aria."

Smiling, Allison gives a small wave and whispers the same back. "Are all teachers here this intense?" she asks, motioning towards our teacher who now is pacing back and forth in the front of the classroom wiping sweat from his forehead. _Ew._

"No idea, it's my first day too," I shrug, "but let's hope not, cause I don't think there is a mop big enough to clean up that hot mess."

Laughing quietly, Allison pushes her hair back behind her ears and leans back in her seat. I already like this girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Scott intently watching Allison and I. Turning slightly in my seat, I shoot him a smirk, knowing that he already is crushing hard on the other new girl. Lucky for him and his puppy-like face, I think it's safe to say that he won't have any trouble getting her attention.

Turning back in my seat, I drown out the rest of the class period and stare out the window. So far my time here in Beacon Hills hasn't been as bad as I thought, well with maybe the exception of Stiles' brilliant life choices and my complete idiocy of following along.

Maybe being here wouldn't be so bad. Maybe my parents leaving me could have been the best thing to happen to me. I guess all I can do is hope and watch this all unfold.

* * *

**[A/N] Hi everyone! I'm back! :)**

**So thank you to all those who reviewed on chapter one and hopefully this is alright. Let me know what you think!**

**-Sarah**


	3. A Baby Christian Bale

After English class, the rest of the morning passed by rather quickly. Each class blurred together, which lucky for me, meant that I didn't have to sit still in a desk chair for too long. Thankfully, this also meant that lunch period was next. _Ah, my favorite part of the school day._ Let's just say that if there is food within a few feet of me, I am most likely going to eat it. I used to be able to gross out my mother by eating so much, especially when it comes to Mexican food. _Oh, the great taco challenge of 2009. I still reign supreme. _Let's just say, if you want to see a 110 pound girl eat 29 tacos, call me.

Going to my locker, I dial the combination and open it to put my no longer necessary books inside.

"Well this is a surprise," I hear to my right. Closing my locker door, I look over to see Allison smiling at me, turning the dial on the locker two over from mine.

Laughing, I walk a few steps closer, tugging my bag back onto my shoulder. "I hope you mean a surprise like Ed McMahon showing up at your door and not a surprise like finding out Darth Vader is your dad."

Allison laughs quietly and continues putting her books in her locker. Shutting the door, she turns to look at me, smirking. "You are so random."

"And you are so being ogled," I say, tipping my head behind her where I can see Scott eyeing her from his own locker. Allison peeks over her shoulder but quickly turns back to me, face flushing red.

"Oh young love," I clasp my hands together and plaster a large fake smile on my face. "Hurried heartbeats, sly glances, boners, oh how sweet it is," I finish, laughing at the horrified look on Allison's face.

"Okay, let's get you out of here before someone else hears you say boners," Allison grabs hold of my shoulder, pushing me in the direction of the cafeteria.

Walking into the lunchroom, I am greeted with the sounds of a hundred teenagers and the intoxicating aroma of a variety of foods. Allison and I make our way over to the lunch line and each grab a red tray. We follow along in the slow moving line, finally reaching the food. Grabbing a chicken wrap and a Coke, I soon pay for my items and Allison and I move towards the tables. Looking around, I finally spot Lydia sitting at the table in the dead center of the room. Nudging Allison, we head over to Lydia's table and I take the seat directly across from Lydia while Allison takes a seat on my right.

"Hey Aria, how has your first day been so far?" Lydia smiles at me as well as gives me a once over, checking out my clothing. "Also, good choice for an outfit, I seriously thought you were going to show up in your sweats."

"I was tempted, but then I remembered that you said you would burn them if I did, so I decided to take the safer route," I laugh, remembering how Lydia showed up to my room two days ago to raid my closet. Apparently she had to make sure I didn't wear anything that would make me look like I belonged in the musical _Rent._

"Oh, this is Allison Argent, by the way," I point my thumb towards Allison. "She's also new here this year."

"Killer jacket," Lydia smiles at Allison, sizing the new girl up. "Where'd you get it?" Rolling my eyes, I un-wrap my food and begin to eat.

"Thanks," Allison replies shyly, unsure how to really react to the force that is Lydia Martin. "My Mom was a buyer for a small boutique back in San Francisco."

"And you are my new best friend," Lydia smiles widely at the brunette, showing her sign of approval.

"Well what am I? Chopped liver?" I mumble, part of my chicken wrap still in my mouth.

Frowning at me, Lydia chooses to ignore my comment just as Jackson joins us at the table, followed by a rather tall, tan boy and another who is short with spiky hair. Taking the seat next to Lydia, Jackson turns her face towards his and begins kissing her roughly. Groaning, I turn towards the taller boy and smile awkwardly.

"Hey, I'm Danny," the boy says, smiling largely showing off a set of brilliant white teeth. "You must be Jackson's cousin."

He sticks his hand out and I take it, shaking it slowly. When I touch his hand, I instantly feel warm and comforted. _This Danny guy sure knows how to make a good impression, just like the impressions his giant muscles are making on that shirt._

"Aria," I reply, tucking a piece of my brown hair behind my ear. Turning back to my lunch, I open my drink and take small sips, watching the rest of the group interact. Since being here in Beacon Hills, all the people who I have met have so far made me feel like I really belong here. For as long as I can remember I have been basically on my own. Friends never came easily to me and when I did manage to make one, they always got scared off because of how intimidating my parents are. If my parents decided you weren't up to their standards then that was that.

"So this Friday there's a party," Jackson says, arm still thrown over Lydia's shoulder. _Oh thank god the tonsil hockey is over. It was almost necessary to get a barf bag._

"A party?" Allison questions, her voice rising slightly higher. "A party for what?"

"For the finishing the first week of school, silly!" Lydia exclaims, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Oh, I can't go," Allison replies softly, shaking her head and wringing her hands together. "Friday is family night. Thank you for inviting me though, I'm sure it will be a lot of fun."

Looking over at Allison, it is so obvious that "family night" is a load of crap, but Lydia didn't seem to take any notice. "Are you sure?" Jackson inquires, raising his eyebrows in surprise that someone would not be attending the party after receiving one of the "coveted" invitations. "Everyone is going after the scrimmage."

"Like football?" Allison questions.

"Football is such a joke," Jackson scowls, "Here in Beacon Hills we are all about Lacrosse. We've won the championship three years in a row now." He then proceeds to puff out his chest and smirk proudly. _Aw, he kind of looks like a puffer fish. _

"Because of a certain team captain," Lydia adoringly touches Jackson's arm, placing her head on his shoulder.

Glancing over at Allison, I see her wearing a grimace similar to mine. Not that I don't love Lydia, but the amount of affection she has for my cousin is a bit overbearing. I mean, yeah he is sort of attractive, but he has the emotional range of a teaspoon.

"Or maybe it's because of the really great teammates you have," I smirk, baiting Jackson.

"I'm sorry, but who carried the team on their back for each season he has been on the team? Who was made co-captain during his freshman year? Who has to make sure that these sissies stay in line on the field? Oh that's right, me," Jackson finishes his rant with a glare in my direction.

"Oh shit, I've awoken the sleeping dragon," I laugh, shaking my head at Jackson's gigantic ego-based rant. Jackson chooses to ignore my statement and looks back over at Allison.

"We actually have our first practice of the year after school, so maybe you can join us?" Jackson eyes Allison intently. "I mean, if you don't have anything else do to, that is."

"Uh-well, I, uh—," Allison sputters, trying to come up with something she could be doing. Not that attending the lacrosse practices aren't fun, but I think anyone sane would rather spend their time doing something more constructive, like sitting on the computer or something. Lacrosse is cool but when you have to watch Jackson do little victory dances every time he scores gets annoying really quickly.

"Great!" Lydia exclaims, smiling widely at Allison and I. "We will see you out there!"

With that, Lydia and Jackson grab their trays and walk away from the table. I look over to Allison with a pitying smile on my face. I know Lydia expects me to go to the practice, but I just really couldn't care less. If she gets mad I can just buy her coffee and it will all be okay.

"Sorry about that, Lydia and Jackson can be-," I start.

"Overwhelming?" Allison finishes, putting her trash onto her tray. We both begin to stand up and make our way over to the trash cans.

"I was going to say insane, but your adjective may be a little nicer," I throw my trash away and begin walking back out to the hallways with Allison following closely behind. Remembering that the swim coach said she would be posting the swim team roster for the school year after lunch, we make our way towards the girl's locker room.

"So are you going to the practice tonight?" Allison asks, trying to keep pace with me.

"That's going to be a no, my dear Allison," I say sarcastically, quickening my pace when I see the bulletin board. "I have other fish to fry."

Finally arriving at the bulletin board, I pore over the roster sheet to find my name. Luckily for me, the list was in alphabetical order, putting me squarely at the bottom. Seeing my name, I start to do the wave because of my achievement. "What in the world are you doing?" I hear a woman's voice call out.

Stopping in mid-wave, I look over to see the girls basketball coach eying me cautiously, as if I was about to start stripping in the middle of the room and dancing to the Macarena.

"Oh you know, just showing my good friend here the official dance of my people," I reply, wrapping my arm around Allison's shoulder, wincing at how idiotic I sound. "But I guess I can do that elsewhere, have a nice day!"

Grabbing Allison's hand, I race us out of the locker room and back out into the busy hallway. Finally stopping back at my locker, Allison and I both grab our books for our last class. Shutting her locker door, she turns to look at me once again.

"Well not that this period has not been fun, I have to now go sit through French," she grimaces at the me a small wave, Allison takes off, heading to her final class of the day.

Lucky for me, I was off to chemistry. Now when I say lucky for me, I actually mean that I am absolutely dreading this class. All day I have heard people talking about how horrible Mr. Harris is. The only saving grace about this class is that I am really good at science. Let's just hope that I can control myself for this one period and not manage to piss the demon teacher off.

I make it to class with just a few seconds to spare, grabbing a seat at the lab table nearest the door. Right as I'm sitting down, the bell rings and Scott and Stiles come stumbling into the classroom, grabbing seats quickly in the hopes that Mr. Harris won't see that they were almost late.

"Ah, Mr. Mccall, Mr. Stilinski, so nice of you to join us," Mr. Harris turns to face the class from where he is standing in the front of the room. Wearing an ugly blazer with suede elbow pads and a crisp white shirt, Mr. Harris begins walking up and down the rows of lab tables, sizing all of us up. "Anyway, many of you will succeed in this class…but most of you will fail. Do not think that this class will be fun and easy. Please open the syllabus I have laid out on your tables."

With that, the worst class period of my life begins. Mr. Harris is probably one of the biggest assholes I have ever encountered in my whole life and may actually put Jackson to shame. Luckily, I only have to spend fifty minutes with him before I am free from his reign of terror.

Once the final bell rings, I rush quickly out of the class to my locker and then to my bike before everyone else can make it out to the parking lot. Unlocking my bike, I push it until I reach the edge of the school property and get on. Instead of going home like I would normally do, I decide to go back to the preserve. After riding for about 20 minutes, I finally make it and lay my bike up against the welcome sign once more. I make my way over to a large tree and sit down, leaning my back up against the trunk. Pulling out my drawing pad and my pencils, I being to sketch the preserve, observing the beauty of trees and waning sunlight cast through them.

When I was growing up, my parents wanted me to be successful and basically had me follow certain pathways that suggested "perfection." I was thrown into music lessons, art lessons, sports, and so much more. Besides swimming, one hobby I gained from my parent's incessant need for a perfect daughter was drawing. Once I started, it was almost impossible for me to stop. I don't think my sketches are anything great, but just being able to sit and observe my surroundings always felt calming.

After what seemed like hours, I put my drawing pad down and stood up to stretch out my legs. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I glance at the time and see it was just barely past five o'clock. Deciding to relax a little bit more before I had to make the journey home, I lay down on the grass with my arms and legs splayed out wide. Closing my eyes I relish in the peace and quiet.

_Crack._

Startled, I sit up and look around me. Hearing the cracking of fallen leaves and of twigs, I turn my body to face the direction of the noise. _Oh god, I'm going to end up on the milk cartons, aren't I?_

"I don't know, it was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball," a boy's voice rings out through the trees. "And that's not the only weird thing happening. I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, smell stuff…" _Ugh, I know that voice. And whenever there is that voice, there is…_

"Smell stuff? Like what?" Stiles questions, both boys finally coming into view.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket," Scott replies, nodding his head towards Stiles jacket pocket.

"I don't have any—," Stiles sticks his hand into the pocket producing a small object, most likely the gum. "Well I'll be damned."

Getting up, I dust my pants off and being walking towards where the two boys are, both still not noticing that I was there. "I can also smell a bit of something like a fruit," Scott sniffs the air, a confused look gracing his boyish features.

"It's actually blackberry and lavender," I reply, finally reaching the boys. Stiles, who is standing closest to me turns around, wide eyed and with arms flailing, hitting my square in the face. _You have got to be freaking kidding me._

"Oh-oh my god," Stiles shouts as he reaches out for me as I grab my face. "I'm so sorry, oh my god, Aria! What-what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was enjoying a nice quiet afternoon in the woods," I rub my cheek where Stiles had accidentally hit me. I can already feel the small bruise that will blemish my face. "Now, I am being attacked by you and seriously thinking about punching you. What are you guys doing here?"

Scott glances at me cautiously, most likely hoping I won't lash out at him like I have at Stiles already. "We are going to look for my inhaler since I really don't want to have to pay for a new one."

I nod, remembering last night all too well. Scott then continues, "Well since you're here, do you maybe want to help us look for it? I mean, you were there when it happened so it might be helpful."

Sighing, I realize that Scott is right. I may not like being a part of these two boys' outings, but I wasn't going to have Scott spend money on something that could easily be found if I pitched in. "Sure, but if this turns into the same thing as last night, you two may want to wear some protective gear for the next few weeks."

With that, I walk off into the forest in the same direction we had taken last night. Even though the woods look very different in the daytime, I was still able to find my way, remembering certain things such as the freaking mini mount Everest.

"So this all started with a bite?" I hear Stiles say to Scott, both boys struggling to catch up with my pace.

Scott nodded, "Yeah, what if it's like an infection," he pauses, eyes growing wide. "Like my body is flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?"

Deciding to play around a bit with the poor boy, "Oh, I think I've heard of this. It's a specific type of infection." Grinning, I look over to see Stiles shooting me a questioning look.

"Are you serious?" Scott inquires, looking at me with hope and a little bit of fear in his eyes.

I nod, placing a serious look on my face. "Yeah, I believe it's called _Lycanthropy._"

Glancing at Stiles, I see him covering his mouth trying to stifle his own laughter. _I may think he's an idiot but at least he has a good sense of humor._

"Oh my god!" He begins to panic. "What is that? Is that bad?" Scott stops walking and stars at me, eyes pleading with me to help figure all this out.

Instead of replying myself, Stiles takes over, causing me to smirk. "Oh yeah, dude, it's the worst," he places his hands on Scott's shoulders. "But it only happens once a month…"

"Once a month?" Scott questions softly, terror completely filling his voice.

"Yeah, on the night of the full moon," Stiles replies, his eyes dancing with laughter at Scott's reactions to our joke.

I let out a loud howl, mimicking that of a wolf. Scott scowls, pushes me slightly in annoyance. "Ha-ha, guys, you are just so funny. There could be something seriously wrong with me!"

"We know," I say with a laugh, beginning to walk forward again. "You're a werewolf."

Scott glares at me, clearly annoyed that Stiles and I are not taking this very seriously. I sigh and look directly at Scott. "Obviously we are joking, Moon-Moon. Don't worry; I'm sure everything is fine."

"But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's because Friday is the full moon," Stiles laughs, tossing his arms around Scott and my shoulders. "Now let's get a move on with finding this inhaler."

After walking in silence for about ten minutes, we all come to a stop and search the area where Scott believes he lost his inhaler. We each spread out in different directions, expanding our search. Sifting through leaves, all I am finding is just twigs and clumps of dirt. Moving slightly further away from the boys, I move aside some fallen branches. Sighing, I stand up and come face to face with the chiseled face of a young man. _Oh god, I'm going to be killed by a baby Christian Bale. _

Stumbling back from the man, I run right into Stiles who grabs a hold of my waist and pulls me slightly closer to him and Scott. The man, who is wearing all black and holding a cold glare, takes a few steps towards us. "What are you doing here? This is private property," he says, crossing his arms across his muscled chest.

"Sorry man, we didn't know," Stiles replies, moving slightly in front of me, as if he is trying to protect me from tall, dark, and handsome. _Well, at least Stiles thinks he's mighty, although I could probably kick his ass without even blinking._

Scott takes a step forward, "Yeah we were just looking for something, but forget about it."

The man then reaches into his leather jacket's pocket and tosses something to Scott. Looking over I see that it is his inhaler. _Phew._

The man gives us all one more pointed look before stalking away into the forest. Scott turns towards me and Stiles, all of us still slightly in shock over our encounter with that guy. "Alright guys, let's go. I have to get to work soon."

Pocketing his inhaler, Scott begins to lead the way out of the preserve, with Stiles and I following right behind.

"Dude, do you know who that was?!" Stiles shouts loudly, causing Scott and I to cringe. Shaking our heads, Stiles continues, "That was Derek Hale. You remember him right? He's only like a few years older than us!"

"Remember him from what?" Scott asks, clearly confused by the other boys' excitement.

"His family, they all burned to death in a fire like, ten years ago or something!" Stiles explains, shoving his hand into his pocket to grab his car keys.

"I wonder what he's doing back?" Scott questions as we finally reach the front entrance where Stiles' jeep and my bike are.

"Well whatever it is, I hope it has to do with him being shirtless all the time," I respond, grabbing my bike and walking over to the boys, both whom are staring at me incredulously. Shrugging, I hop on my bike. "Not that this hasn't been great and all, but I have homework to attend to and hopefully a good night's sleep. Adios!"

With that, I push off on my pedals and make my way back home. I arrive back to the house just as the sun is setting. I park my bike on the side of the house and make my way inside just as my Aunt and Uncle are sitting down in front of the television to watch the news.

"Hey guys," I say, kicking off my boots and dropping my bag by the door. I walk into the kitchen and grab something to eat before making my way back out into the living room.

"So, Aria," my Uncle begins. "How was your first day?"

"Well, I think I met some cool people, oh and I made the swim team," I reply before shoveling a forkful of spaghetti into my mouth.

"That's great sweetheart, I hope that means you are going to like it here," my Aunt answers as both she and my Uncle turn their attention back to the television screen.

I finish up my dinner and bring it to the kitchen. After I finish cleaning up, I begin to make my way upstairs to my room, passing by Jackson's open bedroom door.

"Hey Aria, hope you didn't catch any loser germs today," he yells from his bed. "Don't want to get any of that filth on me; I've got a reputation to uphold."

"Oh don't worry Jackson, I'm immune to these so called "loser germs," I mean, I've lived with you for a few months now and I'm still fine," I smirk, flicking him off as well. "Night Jackass."

I walk away from his room and make my way into mine, slamming the door shut behind me. Instead of doing any homework, I decide to lie down and rest. After not sleeping last night, I could really use some sleep. Just as I start dozing off, I swear I can hear the howl of a wolf.

* * *

**Hi guys! So here is the next chapter! Please leave me reviews and let me know what you think! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed my story, I appreciate it so much!**

**:)**


	4. You've Got to Be Kidding Me

_It feels like I never leave this place. _Walking back through the doors of Beacon Hills high school after a long and restless night, I go straight to my locker knowing that I positively look like hell. Dialing my locker combination three times, finally getting it right, I open the metal door and place my books inside. Glancing at the small mirror that I had placed on the locker door, I cringe, seeing the dark circles under my eyes and how my hair looks like I had been through a wind tunnel. Grabbing my blue beanie out of my bag, I place it on top of my head, making sure to cover all traces of my horrible hair day. Shutting my locker, I shriek when I am met with the puppy dog face of Scott McCall.

"Jesus, McCall," I say, hoping to calm my heartbeat, "maybe you could sneak up a little louder next time?"

"Maybe I should ask the same of you seeing as how you have now scared Stiles and I twice," he laughs, "in a matter of only two days."

"Ah, well it's like my new favorite hobby," we both begin walking towards our English classroom for first period. "It is just so much fun watching Stiles freak out."

We both enter the classroom, taking our same seats from yesterday. Allison and Stiles have not arrived yet, leaving Scott and I to chat about random things. I have to say, McCall is growing on me. I may not been too keen on joining him on anymore after school activities, but I think he would make a really good friend.

After about five minutes the rest of our classmates start slowly trickling in, Allison coming in just before the bell rings. She takes the seat next to me and I smirk, seeing how Scott is now blatantly staring at my brunette friend.

Our teacher soon begins the lesson for today and as he is writing on the board, Stiles bursts through the door and races to his seat, out of breath and sweating.

"Ah, Mr. Stilinski, perhaps next time you can be on time? Certainly don't think you want to have detention during the first week of school?"

"No, sir," Stiles laughs awkwardly, pulling a notebook and pen from his bag, not liking the attention being brought upon him because of his lateness.

"Now then, let's get started on our work for today," he begins, walking over to his desk and grabbing a clipboard and turning to face the class once again. "I have decided that we will be doing a small group project for the next few weeks."

_Oh great. _It's not that I don't like group projects…I actually hate them. Being forced to work with someone who you don't know if they will pitch in or not is quite an anxiety-ridden experience. Last year, back at my old school, I was teamed up with a guy from the football team to complete a chemistry project. Let's just say I may or may not have gotten fed up with him and "accidentally" singed one of his eyebrows off.

_Let's just hope he puts me with Allison._

He begins to go through the list of names, calling out each group. Some people high-five when they get partnered with a friend, while others groans loudly at the thought of their given partner.

"Hm, Stilinski and Whittemore," he finally calls. _You have got to be kidding me. Is there just some unknown force out there desperately trying to bring Stiles into my life? This is getting ridiculous._

Stiles eyes widen when he hears our grouping and turns slightly to eye my reaction. I stare at him with a glare that says 'if you screw this up, you are going to wish you had worn protective gear on your private parts.' Stiles quickly turns away, rubbing his hand over his short buzz cut. _This is going to be interesting._

"So what's with all the creepy smiling going on today?" I ask, nudging Allison with my elbow as we walk towards the lunchroom. "I feel like I'm in a low-budget romance movie."

Snorting, Allison pulls me quickly into the lunchroom. We get our food and sit down at a table in the corner of the room. She looks around the room, most likely checking for eavesdroppers, and then sighs, resting her shin on her hand. I can almost see cartoon hearts dancing in her eyes.

"Well, last night," she begins, softly smiling in remembrance of her evening. "I ran in to Scott."

Taking a sip of my drink, I lean forward and raise my eyebrows at her, notifying for her to continue.

"It was raining like crazy and I accidentally hit a dog, so I drove over to the vet clinic, where apparently Scott works!" she scoots closer to the table and smiles largely. "He helped me out and then one thing led to another and he asked me to go to the party with him tonight!"

She practically is bouncing in her seat with excitement and I can't help but feel happy for her and puppy face. "So I'm guessing your family night isn't going to work out?" I question, grinning widely.

Allison smiles sheepishly, playing with her fork in the salad she had bought for lunch. She opens her mouth to reply but at that moment Lydia drops her lunch on the table and takes a seat next to me.

"So Aria," she uncaps her water bottle and takes a small sip before continuing, "what are you wearing to the party tonight? I don't want you to look like you just attended one of your nerd conventions."

She continues rambling while I try to ignore the conversation. Lydia is such a great friend to have but when it comes to clothes and things like that, I sometimes want to throw myself off a cliff. I know I'm a girl and I should like this kind of stuff, but apparently some of the screws in my head are a little loose.

"Also we don't want to clash, and I especially don't want you wearing any plaid," she keeps going, basically holding the conversation to herself now. "Maybe I will just come by after school and pick something out for you."

I just nod my head and agree, knowing full well that I would be roped into a Lydia clothing escapade no matter what. After about twenty minutes of Lydia and Allison discussing the party, which now we thankfully would all be attending, I throw my lunch away and we begin the walk to our last few classes of the day. _The only thing that would make this day better is if Harris was missing or if Danny took his shirt off. Oh, that would be so nice._


End file.
